Ignition system.



W. Ar CHRYST.

IGNITION SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED numn. m5.

132274.996. Patented May 29, 1917.

ornys- UNITE STATES PATENT onrroE.

. WILLIAM A. cn-aYs'r, or DAYTON, onro, nssrcnon TO THE DAYTON ENGINEERING LABORATORIES COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

IGNITION SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 1917.

1 3113111111 application filed August 4, 1913, Seria1 No. 782,886. Divided and this application filed August 14,

1915, 1 Serial No. 45,602.

To all whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. Cnnrsr,

, clear and exact description.

This inventionrelates to an improvement in resistance units. for electric circuit-mend.

more particularly'to a unit of this type,

which will be especially adapted to be com:

bined with the circuits ofan ignition sysin an ignition s stem.

tem.

Among the objectsof the present invention, is to provide an ignition system whereinthe main circuit is intermittently made and broken by any suitable engine actuated device, in combination with a resistance unit which is simple and economical to manufacture-and which may be readily assembled A further ob ect of the present invention is to provide an 'gnition system in combination witli a 'rbsis a'nce unit, wherein the construction and mounting of the unit in the ignition system is such that it may be readily disassembled and assembled therewith. r Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of one embodiment of the present invention is clearly set forth.

Inthe drawings: 1

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circu'ts and connections embodied inpneform of the, resent invention.

, Fig. 2 1s a view 1n elevation of the distributing unit of the system.

Fig. 3 1s a plan view of part. of the distributing unit, with a portion of the resist- ,ance unit shown inv section. a

. vsistance unit,

Fig. '4 isa side view of the resistance Fig, 5 is a view along the edge of the re Fig.6. is a view of one of the contact ele= ments of the resistance unit.

Fig. 7 is a detail view iof a modified form of the present invention.

I Thepre ent application"is-'a divi sion of,

my co'pending application, filed August 4,

v.1913, Serial No. 782,886.

As has been explained in the co-pend ing applications of Charles F. Kettering Serial No. 621,512, filed April 17,1911, and Serial No. 653,547, filed August 11,1911, an ignition system is disclosed, wherein there is provided a resistance unit adapted to perform certain functions, which are clearly described and claimed in the aforementioned applications, and to which reference 7 may be made for. further details.

By referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the source of current may be either a generator, as shown at 20, or a storage battery, as at 21. One side of these aforementioned sources of current'isconnected to a ground as at 22, while the other side is connected through a switch 25, to the primary wind- -ing 23, of the induction coil. The resistance unit 26 is shown connected in series with the line between the primary winding 23, and the timing and distributing'agent 30.

Supposing that the engine is running un- 'der its own power and the switch 25 is operated to close the ignition circuit, the timer contacts 27 and 28 will be successively opened and closed by the engine operated timer cam 29, thus successively making and breaking the ignition circuit.

During the period that the circuit is closed, the fiow of current 'from either the battery 21 or the generator 20' will pass .through the primary winding 23 of the induction coil, resistance unit 26, contact plates 27 and 28, to the ground connection 2-2, back to thebattcry, through the ground connec tion-22. It will, of course, be obvious that" the sparking impulses may be obtained by breaking the circuit by the'operation of the timer cam or in any other suitable manner, such as a. current interrupter of the type shown and described in the patent to Charles F. Kettering, No.'1,040,349, October "8, 1 912.

The distributer. unit 30 is so arranged that it will select the pro er cylinder to cause sparking therein, at til .11; will, of course, be understood that the timer cam 29 is operated mechanically by connection with theengine in the usual man- 7 vner and it willfur'ther appear that if the-1'05. engine should .stopat such a point as to e proper time. 1

leavethe timer cam in positionto close the ignition circuit, that a rapid depletion of thefcurrent source. would normally occur.

, until the resistance unit becomes lieated, in-

asinuch ..a's this-unitis preferably made of materials of such. propertiesthat the resist-i ance thereof increases with an increasein its temperature. 1 Thus, aflow of current greater than a certain .-pr edetermined maximum through the gnitro rclrcuit w ll cause the temperature ofthe resistance unit to'rapr' idly increase, and 111 consequence ofits increasing temperature, the resistance will. rise j in roportion.

ne method of constructing the resistance- Re-Q unit is shown in Figs-.2 to 6- inclusive. ferring to Figs. 2 and 3,:it will be. seen that outwardly through the timerhousing and is insulated therefrom by means of the sleeve 32. The projecting end of the plate or. stud is screw threaded as at and is adapted to receive :a tubular clamping -ele'- Inent'36, which is. so arranged that it receives 1 f and carries a. hollow bushing38, made of sulating ma' terial.'-' This "bushing" is so I formed that it' has 'aIco're-orinsert 39. This insert 39 may be'saidto "formv the terminal post for oarryin'gythe springtermi-na'l 40.

The terminal or binding post 40 maybe of. any suitable construction as for instance,

as isshownin the co-pending application of Charles F. Kettering, Serial No. 592,29' 3,

filed November 14, 1910.-

The resistance unit 26 consists of a disk made'of any suitable insulating materlal and I havingan-axial opening 43, which isof such ydiameter as to readily pass over the bushing 38. The periphery 'ofnthis disk 4l is grooved v as at '42,,and' is adapted'toTreceiv'ethe coil will ex'tend beyond the resistance coil. This acts as a protection against acc dental or 1n--' aavertent' contact :being made with the unit is provided with a seriesof perforations or openings? through which the armsof the spiders 45 and 46 are adapted to pass in a manner. described hereinafter. a The contour of the spiders or contact plates 45 and 46 aresubstantizilly the same: and therefore the'detail' construction of only one of these contact. elements will be described. The plate-45 comprises a body por- :The: 5/ of resistancewire '47. The groove 42 is. of":

rr's'uch depth that the outer edges-otthe disk terminal "circuit up to the tion having a central aperture and provided w th arms 45", whlch are adapted to pass through certain of the" openings formed in the disk 41. These arms are so spaced apart that they will pass through the alternate open ngs in the said disk. In order to secure the spider 4,5 in its correct position, these'armsare of sufiicient length to permit their free ends being bent over on the opposite face of the disk 41. The spider 46, which is adapted to'be positionedon the opposite face of the disk 41 from that upon' which the spider 45 is positioned, has its arms p r h -.With the opposite ends of the resistance coil the contact plate 27 of theftinierprojects' so-arranged that they will pass through the 47', one of the arms on each of said spiders is elongatedso that it will extend out beyond theperiphery of the disl/z 41 and is bent into such position as to be readily secured to I aces (if-the disk 41, upon which the respec- .t1ve contact plates or spiders 4 5 and. 46 are adapt dw-rest, thus tending to prevent any accidental short-circuiting between the plates 45 and'46, and.at- .the same time it presents the, hQdy-poiftion fo'f 't'hje spiders in such a fman'ner that a; 'goodelectrical contact may be-made, respectively by the portion IO of the terminal post, and the tubular clamping element 36,1o n' the respective spiders.

The-resistancennit when imposition. is

' slipped over the" insulating bushing 38. This brings one. 'ofijihe oon'taot" plates 46 and 45 into contaetjyv-i'th-the clamping nut 36, said clamping nutheing in the -.circuit .with the contact plates-S pt the mechanism.- ogg eon'taetpilate gffthe resista n cc oj' he surface: which the .-.so is screwe ,'thereby making the circuit oonnection,} -ang ,I also clamping is e resis unit ina' )osition.

' It Will pgl 1 that when the un t passes thror rh the V rmmai post- 40, its i'in\\' will; be as follows 5. through the portion ll "oft'h'eterminal post, to the spider Miami, I Referring to Figs-14', 5 and '6, detail views of therresist'ahee unit are shown, from wlri'ehf "it will be noted that" the insulated disk 41,.

denser 33 across t e timer Contactwinds. 125

which will tend to 1 i'event spanhing at 105C points.

In Fig. 7 there is shown a lnmllih'illlnll oi .the resistance unit having a disk 3 with a Sfil'lQS of holes 51, located near its edge. 1 i

e' seen -f,rom" the above descriptimi resistance coil is wound from 'one hole around the outside edge of the disk;,and

back into thenext adj acent hole. Any suit able amount of 'wire" can thus be wound around the disk until the completecircumferenceof said disk is filled, as shoufn in the drawing.

co'ntact plate 512 ,-is mountedon each side of thegdisk and .are insulated. from e'ach iothelfl'saidcontact plates forming terminals ,for the extremities of the resistance .coil, and alsol contacting surfaces forthe clamping nut36-and thetern inal post 40, I WVhile I have set forth one preferredform ofthe present invention, itc'will'be under stood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing is not intended as a; limitation of my-inventiOmqhut that I 1 serye the rightto make Whatever changes in 9:"

the elements and combination of elements,

3 comprising the present invention, as may come within p the scope of the appended What I- .,claim is as followsi i L '1'.- In a'fdevice' of the character described the combination with an electric circuit, have 'ing a source of supply; a current, interrupter located in said circuit; aca-sing for said cur rent interrupter; a terminal po'st adapted 'thecasing. V v

- 2. Ina device of the character described,

to be secured to said casing and a resistance unit secured in position by said terminal post and electrically connected lwit h'the cir cuit; and means for insulatingsaid: resistance element: from the terminal post a and r the-combination with an electric circuit including a' source of'current and a current a interrupter interposed therein; a casing for said current interrupter a support connect ed to but insulated from said casing; a terminal .post connected-With said support; a disk ofinsulatingmaterial having a grooved periphery'secured in position by said ter minal post; aresistjance unit mounted in the peripheral groove', of saiddisk contact plates secured to the opposite faces of said disk, each of'sai'd contact plates being connected to the opposite ends of said resistance 

